Born in
Naples in 1956, the son of an
Eternit employee, Vessicchio attended the
Naples Conservatory without graduating. While still a university student of architecture, Vessicchio performed for a few years with the comedy ensamble
Trettré and started collaborating with some high-profile Neapolitan singers such as
Peppino di Capri,
Peppino Gagliardi,
Fred Bongusto,
Edoardo Bennato,
Nino Buonocore. He had his professional breakout in the first half of the 1980s thanks to a long collaboration with
Gino Paoli as an arranger, conductor (both in studio and in tours) and composer, penning among others Paoli's hits "Ti lascio una canzone", "Una lunga storia d'amore" and "Cosa farò da grande". in 2017 Vessicchio was a popular figure of the
Sanremo Music Festival, and took part in nearly every edition of the Festival since
1990, when he served as the conductor for
Mia Martini and
Mango. He won the critics' award for best arrangement three times in
1994,
1997, and
1998. His arrangements were also awarded a prize in the year 2000 by a special jury led by
Luciano Pavarotti. Vessicchio died from complications of
interstitial pneumonia at San Camillo Hospital in
Rome on 8 November 2025, at the age of 69. Numerous Italian public figures expressed their condolences and several attended his funeral, which was held at the church of
Santi Angeli Custodi a Città Giardino, located in the neighborhood of Rome where he resided. == Notes ==